The unwanted buildup of static electricity on an insulated support is a continuing problem. It is well known that a thin conductive layer will prevent static buildup and it is possible to formulate a conductive composition that can be coated on a support. However, it has been quite difficult to combine these conductive properties with other desirable physical properties such as physical stability.
A number of charge transfer complexes are electrically conducting. For example, complex salts of 2-(4,5-dihydronaphtho[1,2-d]-1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)-4,5-dihydronaphtho[1,2 -d]-1,3-dithiole (DTTF) with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) are electrically conducting. However, when such complexes are combined with an electrically insulating polymer composition to incorporate other physical properties, the resulting composition exhibits no useful electrical conductivity. As a result, charge transfer complexes have been limited in their utility in forming useful antistatic and conductive layers for elements such as electrographic, electrophotographic and photographic elements.
It is desirable to obtain coating compositions of such charge transfer complexes with electrically insulating polymers as those polymers would provide physical stability for the coating, as well as other desirable properties required for many applications.